and it was only 9:30am. I’ll spare you the details and just say - nothing was really going my way. I was driving home, channeling my inner Yosemite Sam, “Raz-a-fraz-a-ricka-fracka”, when I turned onto our road and saw my husband shoveling snow. An immediate calm spread over my body. A warm fuzzy, you might call it. There he was, shoveling the neighbor’s sidewalk (yes, he’s that nice) and he made my day.

I enjoyed the change of mood so much, I rolled my window down and stopped in the middle of our quiet street to revel in it a bit longer. He greeted me with his usual, “Hi, Gorgeous!” and I swooned a bit deeper into our moment of bliss. After some light banter, I pulled into the garage a different person than I had pulled out. I couldn’t help but be grateful for this man. Then I wondered if I had ever impacted someone like that. Had my mere presence softened their edge? The answer came all too quickly: Nope!

Before slipping down the rabbit hole of why I am how I am, I realized the reason I instantly relax when he’s around is because he loves me. Truly loves me - faults and all. And we all want to be loved - in life and on the dance floor. We’re not perfect partners. We’re not perfect dancers. We’re not perfect people. But we can be loved. We can be welcomed with open arms. And what that does for us - hell, what it could do for the world - is remarkable.

If you’ve danced long enough, you’ve hopefully experienced a partner that always seems genuinely happyto dance with you. You may not get to dance with him/her often, but you sure enjoy those dances. The pressure of expectation evaporates. Mistakes are merely laughed away. The two of you just have fun. Don’t you love that person? I sure do.​ So I’m going to try to be that person for someone. I want to perfectly love someone imperfect today. Whether it’s on the dance floor or in the grocery store. Wish me luck. And thank you, Ty Johnson, for being my inspiration. I love you.